Submission Guidelines

The Official Messages Register is open to individuals who hold formal institutional authority relevant to the Kashmir crafts sector. Contributions are accepted by invitation only. The Assessment Secretariat issues personalised invitations to: • Heads of government ministries, departments and statutory bodies responsible for crafts, textiles, culture, trade, and rural development • Senior representatives of national and international development agencies and cultural institutions • Academic and research leaders from universities and institutes working on craft heritage, design, or policy • Senior officers of artisan associations, trade federations and sector organisations • Political representatives with portfolios directly connected to craft-sector policy • Senior leadership of the HCRF and the Assessment itself

A qualifying message: • Represents the formal perspective of an institution or sector authority • Is relevant to the State of Kashmir Crafts 2026 Assessment and its scope • Is written in formal institutional language • Reflects matters of policy, evidence, or institutional concern — not commercial promotion • Is original and has not been published elsewhere in the same form • Is written or formally authorised by the named contributor

Messages must: • Be at least 200 characters in length • Be written in a formal institutional register • Be free of commercial promotional language • Be factually accurate and, where claims are made, consistent with available evidence • Not contain defamatory, discriminatory or legally problematic content • Be submitted in English (translations may be included in addition)

An official photograph is required for all published messages: • Must be a professional portrait (formal, neutral background preferred) • Minimum resolution: 400 × 400 pixels • Must clearly show the contributor's face • Should not be a logo, illustration or group photograph • The contributor confirms they own or have rights to use the photograph

A signed institutional letter is required to verify authority: • Must be on official institutional letterhead • Must be signed by the contributor or an authorised institutional officer • Should confirm the contributor's designation and their authority to submit • Must be submitted in PDF format • The Secretariat will treat the letter as a confidential verification document and will not publish it without consent

By submitting, contributors confirm: • They are the named contributor and have institutional authority to submit • They consent to the message being published on the Assessment platform • They understand the message will form part of a permanent public record • They consent to editorial formatting without alteration of meaning • They will be invited to approve the final proof before publication

After submission, messages go through the following review stages: 1. Identity Review — the contributor's identity and role are confirmed 2. Authority Verification — institutional authority to submit is verified against the signed letter 3. Editorial Review — formatting, clarity and language are assessed. Corrections may be made without altering meaning 4. Contributor Proof — the contributor receives the final version for approval before publication 5. Publication — upon contributor approval, the message is scheduled and published

Invitations are issued between 1 June 2026 and 31 August 2026 (Design and Pre-Launch Phase). The Public Consultation and publication phase runs from 1 September 2026 to 31 October 2026. Messages submitted before 1 September 2026 will be processed and may be published from that date, subject to completion of the review process.